Just Getting Started
by Stardust Skywriter
Summary: It's the first year of high school — but it's not all fun and games. From horrible teachers to romantic issues (or the lack of, in some cases), are they really up to the challenge? [High School AU, rated T for implied stuff and mild teenager language. Subject to change. RobStar, Flinx goodness and a whole lot of others.]


_A/N: So... hi? This is the new, (hopefully) better version of **My High School Life** by **DarkkAngelll**. And before you start, let me clear up any misunderstanding; the only person I am belittling in that previous statement is _myself_ because I _am_ DarkkAngelll. Hello there, new and old readers. This is a High School AU, because that trope certainly hasn't been overused._

_Don't assume the ships just yet. Things are not always as they seem. I am an evil authoress, and my unpredictability matches my level of evilness._

_Mild powers. As in, they haven't quite developed. The traits are there, but their appearances are normal: Kori has whites in her eyes, regular eyebrows; Gar has regular skin, Raven has normal (albeit pale) toned skin, Vic takes on his Stone appearance, et al. Dick didn't change at all..._

_Suggestions, ways to improve and comments about this chapter would be much appreciated. I learned long ago that long chapters aren't too bad. This one's 5,600+. Should I keep up that word count or...?_

_DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Teen Titans, or any franchises which I may have touched upon/referenced._

* * *

Kori Anders was dreaming. She smiled subconsciously.

"Wake up, little sister," Koma Anders droned, sitting on the edge of her sister's bed.

Kori shifted a bit in position and let out a small noise of protest, but other than that she showed no signs of waking. Koma rolled her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Kori..."

Koma roughly yanked off the white blanket covering Kori's body. "_Get up, you lazy_—"

"I'm awake, I'm awake!" Kori cried, sitting up abruptly and glaring at her older sister as best as she could while still very drowsy.

Her sister smiled, satisfied, and she crossed her legs. "You don't want to be late for your first day of high school, would you, little sis? After all, it means you get to see me more often."

Kori cracked a smile at that, and Koma laughed.

"Which means I have to educate you on protocol—you don't talk to me, you don't brush by my shoulder, and I fly home alone. Got that?"

Her little sister scowled at her, suddenly looking tired again. "Ah, ah, scowling doesn't become you, Kori. That's my role."

"Then leave me alone so I can get ready," Kori said, stretching her arms. "Although it seems more fun to be the grumpy one. I get pampered."

"Don't count on it," Koma shot back immediately, already getting up and floating towards Kori's white bedroom door. "I'm older. I get grumpy rights."

Kori sighed. "I can't believe we're arguing over this." She waved her sister off, stifling a yawn. "Let me get dressed and we can finish this at the breakfast table."

"As you wish," Koma said, rolling her purple eyes and shutting the door. A pause, before she opened the door again and poked her head in. "Mom made breakfast, so hurry up!"

Once she heard the click of the door, Kori sprang up and scampered to her white wooden closet. Her bare feet made shuffling noises on the carpeted floor. "What to wear, what to wear," she murmured, sifting through her clothes.

Her green eyes flickered to the purple alarm clock on the bedside table and, with a swift yank, her oversized shirt was on the floor and she was dressing up hurriedly.

Kori's hands fumbled a bit as she scrambled to put on her white belt and black boots. She flew over to the mirror and ran a brush through her hair a few times, checking for a moment if everything was in place. In approval of herself, she smiled.

The purple backpack waiting beside the door was picked up and brought down the stairs of the Anders house.

* * *

Kori walked into the kitchen to the sound of oil simmering and the newspaper in her father's hands rustling as he turned the next page.

"Good morning to you all!" Kori greeted, smiling brightly and throwing her hands up in glee.

Myan chuckled, though his green eyes didn't leave the article he was reading. "Good morning to you too, princess. Have you seen your sister?"

"She went down before I did, father," Kori said, floating over curiously to the dining table. She peered at the front of the newspaper and read the headline printed in bold, black letters: _Democrats Release Platform_. "Who are these 'Democrats', and why are they releasing a stage for performance?"

"They are a political party in America, Kori, and... the other meaning of the word," Myan said. He flipped the page.

Kori looked a bit vacant for a moment as she tried to recall another meaning for _platform_. "Oh! A particular policy of a party seeking election?"

Her father nodded, and Kori beamed.

"You're getting better at this," Myan said, smiling at his daughter kindly. "Why, just last year you learned how to use contractions. Now you're getting the hang of shortened language!" He shook his head with a chuckle. "My princess is growing up."

Kori giggled. "I'm still a freshman in high school, father. That is such a long time from now."

Luan smiled at her daughter, her purple eyes darting from Kori to the frying eggs every few seconds. "Good morning, Kori."

"Good morning, mother!" Kori said, floating to Luan's side and looking down at the eggs. "Do you need help?"

"You can set the table, honey," Luan said, gesturing towards the long dining table covered in yellow cloth. Kori nodded, eager to help.

She walked over to the wood-paneled cabinet on the opposite side of the room. The glass cover slid off easily and she began collecting the dinnerware. "I trust you had a most pleasant slumber, mother?"

"Of course I did," Luan answered a bit distractedly. Kori didn't seem to pick up on it, and she smiled as she began arranging the table.

"Get me a cup of coffee, dear?" Myan asked with a sheepish grin. Kori rolled her eyes playfully. She set the last pair of utensils down on the white ceramic plate before flying over to the coffee pot. Her father gave her a thumbs-up with his meaty hand when she raised a packet of sugar for his consent.

"Be careful with that," Luan chided, glancing warily at Myan's white business suit. "You're drinking black coffee _again _and if that spills I'm going to have to clean that up... _again_."

"I'll be _extra_ careful, honey," Myan said, his gaze on the hot cup of coffee Kori placed in front of him.

"You had better," Luan said. She twirled a little before setting the pan of scrambled eggs on the dining table. "Breakfast is ready!"

"That looks delicious, mother!" Kori said, staring at the eggs hungrily.

"I hope it does; I worked on these all morning!" Luan exclaimed with a laugh. The woman took her seat while Myan began getting his share of the food. He smiled at his wife and got her food for her. Luan grinned. "Thank you, dear."

"No problem at all," Myan said with a wink.

Cooing inwardly, Kori watched her parents exchange pleasantries.

"I'll fetch Koma," Kori announced before floating out of the kitchen.

She went up the stairs, passing by her parents' joint bedroom. Something she saw made her stop short—three suitcases packed up and ready to be brought to... wherever they were going to go. Kori sighed, landing gingerly on her feet and walking instead to Koma's room. Her mother and father were leaving again. There was nothing new about that, it was just that... she wished they'd stay a little longer. She knew that they were supposed to have gone last week but they insisted on seeing them off, at least. Kori was happy about the sentiment, but she'd still miss them.

Arriving at Koma's bedroom door, she knocked—a quick three raps. "Sister? Breakfast's ready!"

"I'll be down in a minute!" came the muffled reply.

Kori yelled an "okay!" before flying down to the kitchen once more. Part of her was miffed that her sister had the nerve to wake her up and then be late for breakfast.

"She'll arrive momentarily," Kori told no one in particular before she sat down, eyeing the eggs eagerly.

Luan nodded at Kori. "Let's wait for your sister before we begin." She untied her yellow apron and hung it neatly on the back of her chair.

"No need to wait," a voice cried. "The queen of the galaxy has _arrived_!"

"Good morning, Koma," Luan said, smiling patiently as she set down her spoon and fork.

"Good morning, darling," Myan said, folding away his newspaper and placing it to his side.

"Good morning, sister!" Kori said, grinning and waving at Koma in greeting.

"Good morning, everyone," Koma said, pulling up a chair for herself. "Mm, scrambled eggs!"

"Just the way you like them," Luan said with a wink. Koma grinned eagerly and piled up the spoonfuls on her plate. Kori let a small sigh of relief pass before she moved to get her own serving. Her green eyes widened, shocked at the sight.

"Father! She took all of the eggs!" Kori cried in dismay.

Myan glanced at Luan. "_Must_ I?"

The sharp glare Luan sent him made him turn to Koma, clearing his throat.

"Koma, be nice to your sister," Myan reprimanded. "Why did you take all the food?" Koma looked up at her father with a mouthful of eggs and toast. "And _why_ are you already eating?"

The dark-haired girl gulped loudly before giving her father a charming smile. "Why, I have no idea what you're talking about, father."

"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about," he said sternly.

"I'll make a new batch," Luan said, cutting through the discussion. _Clearly,_ asking Myan to mediate was fruitless. She got up and rubbed Kori's back comfortingly. "While you wait you can get an orange to eat, darling."

Kori nodded with a sad look on her face, and she reached for the fruit that was hardly enough to satisfy even two of her nine stomachs.

"Never mind, mother," Kori said firmly. "I'll eat this and proceed to school—I might be late if I wait any longer."

"Are you sure, Kori?" Luan asked, frowning. "I don't want you starting the school year with an empty stomach."

Kori waved a hand dismissively. "It's okay. You made me lunch," she reminded her with a small grin.

She picked up the backpack by her feet and slung it on her shoulders, wrinkling the lime-green sleeves. Kori waved at her parents and sister who was eating at a slower pace as if it wasn't _her_ first day of school as well, and stepped out the door. "I have a feeling that this will be a long day..."

* * *

"This is gonna be the _best day ever_!" Gar Logan cheered.

"Why's that, hun?" Rita Dayton asked, distracted as she bustled around their huge kitchen. She had to practically _run_ over from the counter to the stove so the gas wouldn't explode on her.

"I'm gonna be a freshman in high school, Rita! _High school_!" Gar said, still very much excited. He paced around the circular dining table in his tatty red sneakers. "Time goes by so fast! Soon I'm gonna be in college! And I can finally do all the stuff I wanna do! And Vic's gonna get his license and we're gonna have a road trip around the world in his new baby! Sweet!" He threw his arms up, and the sleeves of his too-big purple outer shirt fell back.

Rita chuckled fondly. "Of course you can, Gar." She carefully poured pancake batter on the pan. "But don't dwell too much on the future." Rita turn a knob and the batter was simmering. "Dwell on the eggs I need to make another batch!"

Gar gave her a mock-salute before morphing into a bird and flying over to the stainless steel refrigerator. He morphed back into human form and stared at the door.

"You're getting better at morphing, honey," Rita called over the rushing water of the sink. "Although we still haven't figured out why you turn green when you change."

"Huh? Oh, yeah." He ran a hand through his hair. He'd dyed it green to match the animals, actually, as a quick joke to the gang. But then after two hours of staring at himself in the mirror he decided it suited him, so he kept it. Rita nearly fainted when he came out of the shower and the dye hadn't come off. But his mind wasn't on the hair or the morphing, it was on the scrap of paper with a note written in blue ink, attached to the door with a yellow smiley-face magnet.

In Steve Dayton's sharp handwriting, it read, '_Sorry I couldn't stick around to see you off for your first day, Gar_' and, apparently trying to be funny or cool or _whatever_, he'd added a sad face at the bottom. Gar narrowed his eyes. "I didn't want you around, anyway," he muttered.

The changeling was greeted with a blast of cool air as he picked up three eggs for Rita's world-famous (or at least, he thought they should have been) pancakes. He slammed the door shut, and the note fell off.

"Garfield Logan, a.k.a. Egg Man, at your service!" he called, placing the eggs carefully on the counter near Rita's cooking implements.

"Egg Man saves the day again," Rita said with a grin. She blew a strand of blonde hair from her face. "First batch's done!"

"Cool!" Gar said, already seating himself. Then he snapped his fingers. "Wait!"

He raced to the other side of the kitchen, forgetting to morph. Hurriedly he flung the door open ("Gar! Be _careful_!" "It's a _fridge_, Rita! Can't slam the stupid door anyway!") and went through old bottles of ketchup and packets of tofu. He grabbed a pink bottle and closed the door—_not_ slammed—before running back to the table.

"_Aaaand we have a winner!_" Gar announced, sliding into his seat. "First place goes to Gar Logan! Wouldn't be the same without strawberry syrup," he told her, popping the bottle open with his thumb. Rita was already setting a plate of pancakes for him.

Rita laughed. "Glad you didn't forget tradition."

He gasped, making sure she could _hear_ the breath being sucked in. "I would _never_. Not even if I _tried_."

"Save me some while I work on the second batch," she said, pointedly ignoring his dramatics.

"If I don't save you—" chew, chew "—some, there's still another bottle—" gulp "—in the fridge."

The woman rolled her eyes playfully. "If you say so, hun."

* * *

Gar and Rita were by now both seated. Rita was still at her first helping while Gar was showing no mercy on his third. He poured the strawberry syrup messily, staining the white table cloth in the process. Suddenly, he looked up at Rita.

"Hey, Rita," he began, face lacking the mischievous glint from earlier. "Where's Steve?"

"At work, darling," Rita answered without flinching. She calmly sliced up another piece of pancake.

"As always," Gar muttered, before lifting his fork for another bite.

Rita sighed. She placed her utensils down. "He really _is_ sorry, you know."

"Yes, I can detect his regret by the cheap, hurried note he left on the frickin' refrigerator," Gar said sarcastically. The woman frowned.

"Just because he can't be around for your first day doesn't mean he's automatically not a good father—"

"Yes it does!" Gar snapped. "Because this isn't the first time he's skipped out on me! He was _never_ around for anything! Not the first day of high school, not the first day of my summer job, not the day of my grade school graduation! _Never!_"

"...you're going to be late, darling," Rita said quietly, lowering her gaze.

Gar took a quick glance at the yellow wall clock before snatching his beat-up green bag. "Don't expect me back too early if Steve's coming home early, too." He speed-walked to the living room and to the door.

"Goodbye, Gar," Rita called from the kitchen. He could hear the sound of plates clinking. "Have fun on your first day of high school."

The changeling sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, his other hand lingering on the doorknob. "Bye," he called back finally, but his heart wasn't really in it.

* * *

Raven Roth grunted.

She knew perfectly well that she should go downstairs right now and eat breakfast so she can proceed to school—it _was_ her first day of high school—but for some reason she couldn't drag herself out of bed today.

Purple eyes landed on the book on her study desk.

Huh. So maybe the novel she'd burned the midnight oil for had something to do with it.

Raven yawned, taking off the purple sheets so she could breathe, but not entirely off her body. It was so nice and warm... did she really have to go to school?

It would just be the same thing, over and over again. Dealing with nasty teachers, piles of homework and drama queens who wouldn't leave her alone.

_Beep. Beep._

She cursed the stupid cellphone and lifted a hand to grab it with her powers. Lazily she pressed a few buttons to unlock the screen and see who had bothered her so early in the morning.

_2 new messages._

_Jen Hex: Hey Raven! G'morning. You up yet? Better get up 'cause there's yoga class today :D_

_Karen Beecher: Yo Raven! I know ur not up yet so u better get ready to suffer highschool like the rest of us :(_

Raven rolled her eyes. Typical friends.

_To: Jen Hex: Hey Jen. Good morning too. Almost, feeling lazy though. Really? Since when?_

_To: Karen Beecher: I'm up, I'm up! Azar. I don't want to go to school anyway._

Sighing, she sat up and rubbed her eyes. She thought of what Jen said—yoga class, hm?

She stood up and extended a hand, only to have it drop down again. Maybe she should get up and do this manually... Raven walked over to her closet, sorting idly through clothes. Not that she had much of a selection, nor did she really care. She picked out a pair of black jeans and a dark blue top. She grabbed her trademark blue jacket—it was too hot at present to wear it, so she slung it over her shoulder to free her hands to run a brush through her short hair.

A sigh passed her lips and she slowly trudged out of the door with the intent of heading straight to school.

* * *

"Breakfast, Raven?"

Raven stopped in her tracks. She had been floating so silently that she was so sure her human mother couldn't have possibly heard her.

"No thanks, mom."

"Are you sure?" Angela Roth asked, worry in her tone. She came into view from the white kitchen doorway. "I made _éclair au chocolat_ and a few pieces of Gourmandise's Constellation. They smell great," she added with a weak smile.

Raven frowned. She knew what _that _meant. "Did you and dad have a fi—an _argument_ again?"

"What? No," Angela scoffed, still smiling. She playfully rolled her eyes. "I just baked this for your first day of high school. It's a special day!"

The skeptical look Raven cast made her mother turn away. Her fists clenched for a long moment. "Raven, please eat your éclair," she said finally. Angela jerked her head towards the small dining table. "It doesn't taste very nice after it gets stale and I'd hate a morning of baking to go to waste."

Raven sighed and floated over to the table. Her mother had placed a nice, big pile of éclairs in the middle of the table and had taken the liberty to serve a piece of Gourmandise's Constellation, a soft strawberry and chocolate cake, on each of their plates. Raven couldn't help but lick her lips at the sight. Her eyes swept over the rest of the table and noticed her dad's chair placed far across her chair, without a plate at all. In fact, her mother's chair seemed closer than she remembered it. "This looks great, mom," Raven said with a small smile. "Your baking is getting better."

"I hope it doesn't," Angela murmured. Her daughter nodded in understanding.

"Let's eat," Raven said, already pulling out her chair. "I've got forty-five minutes until school starts. But I'm willing to be late if I can finish off that pile of éclairs," she joked, glancing at her mother. "It _would_ be a shame to let them go to waste."

Her mother let out a small chuckle but other than that, she sat in stony silence. Raven groaned inwardly. She was a horrible comedienne.

The empath picked up her form and knife then began cutting a piece of the Constellation. She popped it into her mouth and chewed carefully. "Mmm!" she exclaimed, unable to help herself. It was a burst of flavors dancing in her mouth. She savored the luscious strawberries and cream and immediately her tongue demanded more.

"This tastes amazing, mom!" Raven said happily, and a crack appeared on the window with black energy running through it. She ducked her head, hands reaching instinctively for the hood that wasn't there. "...oops?"

Angela laughed much louder this time. "Accidents happen, dear. I'm honored that my patisseries have evoked your emotions so much." Her voice turned squeaky, like she was talking to a child. "Hi there, Happy Raven!"

"Happy comes out only for you, mom. Only for you," the empath said, before treating herself to another bite.

There was a small smirk on Angela's face. "How about Jen? Or Karen? Or maybe... Gar Logan?"

Raven coughed and Angela laughed again. She sent her mother a scathing glance. "I _hate_ that kid, mom. The only emotion he'll ever see from me is Anger. Or Sadism, if that counts," she mused. Raven then shrugged, returning to her food.

Angela smiled and looked down at her own éclair. At least _someone_ was happy.

"So dad's at work?" Raven asked as she stood up to put away her plate. Absently she grabbed her mother's plate, too, for which Angela thanked her.

"Yes, he is. Won't be back until very late, dear," Angela said, looking away.

Raven sighed. "Mom—"

"Oh my! You're going to be late, Raven!" her mother said, glancing at the wall clock with the glass so scratched up you had to squint to see the time. The seconds hand was barely even visible anymore. "You'd better hurry along." She grabbed a paper bag and handed it to Raven, along with a piece of card paper.

"Lunch," she said, pointing to the bag, "my cellphone number. Call if you have to, I'll drop _whatever_ it is I'm doing at work, I'll go get you."

She _really _didn't have to sacrifice work for her. "_Mom—_"

Angela pretended not to notice and stood up, walking over to the refrigerator, glass in hand. "If you need me to bail you out, just ask me to put your book back on the bedroom shelf and I'll go pick you up if you feel uncomfortable."

Raven sighed, feeling a vein throb. "Mom, this isn't what I'm trying to tell you—"

"Can you repeat that after me? 'Mom, please put the book back on the shelf'. Or some variation of that."

The empath glared at her, and she sighed. "Mom, please put the book back on the shelf. Now, can we just talk about you and—"

She put the pitcher of water back and drank. "Come on, darling. You'll be late."

Leaving no room for argument she ushered Raven out, handing her the blue hooded jacket she always wore and her book bag. "Have fun, Raven! I love you!" she said, poking her head out the door which was around three-fourths closed already.

Raven sighed. "Bye, mom. Love you too."

The door closed and Raven stood outside the door, shrugging the jacket on. "Maybe she forgot that I could just _teleport_ myself there..."

A pause, and she looked up before sighing. "It _is_ a rather nice day to walk anyway."

* * *

"_DICK!_" Bruce Wayne's voice boomed from the bottom end of the staircase. "_Get up or you'll be late again!_"

"How can I be late if I'm already here?" Richard Grayson asked with a cocky grin as he scurried down the stairs, fingers flying to button up his blue shirt. "And I can't be late 'again' if it's only my first day."

"Spare me your _razor-sharp_ wit," Bruce said tiredly, to which Richard protested, saying that his wit _was_ sharp, as sharp as Bruce's tongue. "I've got a business meeting today at noon and another one at four and I'll be dealing with smart-asses all day—I really don't think I need you to act like them, too."

"Is breakfast ready?" Richard asked, pointedly ignoring Bruce and walking straight into the kitchen.

"Yes, Master Dick, breakfast has been ready since 7:30," Alfred Pennyworth said, nodding towards the lone plate on the dining table.

Blue eyes flickered to the digital wall clock. "Crap! _That_ late already?"

Alfred nodded. "I suggest you eat with haste."

"That's a very good suggestion," Richard said, stuffing two pieces of toast in his mouth.

"Alfred said to eat with haste, not choke yourself to death," Bruce called from the living room.

Richard glared at him as he dashed to grab his shades and backpack from the living room couch. "Ha ha. Very funny, Bruce."

Bruce raised an eyebrow at his ward. "And who was trying to be funny, exactly?"

"Certainly not you," Richard said with a roll of his eyes. He placed his shades on, standing by the door. "Well what's taking you so long? It's my first day of high school! Aren't you excited or something, Bruce?"

"Yup," the older man said, adjusting his hat and walking right past Richard to the car. "Means I'm getting closer to having you shipped to boarding school and out of my house."

Scowling all the way, Richard followed him out. He slid into the passenger seat, making sure to slam the door behind him.

"Careful with this, it could be yours," Bruce chided, warming up the engine.

"Really?" Richard asked hopefully.

"No."

He pouted and Bruce laughed.

"Come on, Dick. Lighten up. You're gonna be in high school now. Soon you'll be in college and I'll be free one more bedroom soon."

A disgusted look. "I'm going to pretend that that didn't mean what I think it means." He stuck his tongue out at Bruce. ("Oh, _real_ mature, Dick. I can really tell that you're about to enter high school already.") "You're telling _me_ to lighten up? _You_. Please. I'm not the one with a stick up my—"

Bruce made a clicking noise with his tongue and pulled out the driveway, the motor making a low humming noise. State of the art, latest model—clearly he spared no expenses when it came to his favorite toys. Now Richard _really_ wished that this baby was going to be his soon.

Alfred smiled slightly, watching the two bicker all the way until they drove out of sight from his spot in front of Wayne Manor. "Men shall be boys," he said to himself with a fond chuckle before retreating into the house and shutting the large wooden door. The ornate knockers clanged.

* * *

They'd been cruising along for around ten minutes in silence; there were still five more minutes to the trip and Richard was already bored out of his mind.

In another futile attempt at conversation he turned to Bruce, arm propping his head up against the car window. "So... this weather, huh?"

Bruce didn't even spare him a glance, although Richard could sense that he was raising an eyebrow and shaking his head inwardly, wondering _where_ exactly he went wrong in raising Richard.

Uh, not that he'd told him that before.

"I thought I trained you better at making small talk."

"This kind of stuff works on old ladies with lots of jewelry and a thing for ugly art. Not my fault that you've built up an immunity to my charm."

The other man scoffed and rounded a corner. "Your _what_?"

Richard grumbled, something about how making small talk with him was useless and he was better off counting the trees he saw out the window.

Bruce smirked. "_That_'s what I thought."

Never before had he been so happy to see the building that was Jump City High. Bruce pulled over right in front of the entrance and students cleared out, peering on with interest to see who it was.

Gar Logan and Wally West just shook their heads.

"Ego much?"

"Has to drive the flippin' car to school. Good thing it was Mr. Wayne who drove him this time."

"Oh yeah, how much more in-your-face could it get if he drove to school with a _chauffeur_?"

"In the limo!"

"If you guys are done bitching about my lifestyle—"

"Dude, we were _so_ not bitching."

"We're too cool for that. Give your best friend a little credit."

"Says the guys who whined for two weeks straight after I got a new game console."

"Damn, Dick, that was totally unfair!"

"That console wasn't supposed to be released until three weeks later! How come you got it in advance?"

"See? Bitching."

Wally was about to retort something when Richard clamped a hand over his mouth. "Shh, come on, we're supposed to meet the girls by the principal's office."

Gar ran a hand through his hair. "_Riiight_. Hey, did you hear that Mr. Tan— Mr. Tala— Mr. Tale—" He scrunched his nose up in concentration.

"Mr. Talanix?" Wally offered. "The creepy principal dude?"

"_Ex_-principal," Gar said, grinning. "Heard that he quit, something about finding his calling in the frozen food industry."

"That's just whack, but I'm not complaining," Richard said with a shake of his head. "So who's the replacement?"

The changeling just shrugged. "Who knows, who cares? I mean, who could be worse than Talanix?"

"Do you really want that question answered?" Raven asked, face impassive as always.

He waved jubilantly at the girl. "Hey, Rae!"

She glared at him. "Since it's the first day, I'm going to give you a free pass."

"You're getting soft," Kori whispered, giggling.

"So sue me," Raven whispered back, and they both laughed.

The boys stared at them.

"Did we miss something?"

"Well I know that you all missed _me_!" Roy Harper announced, walking towards them with his arms raised in a grand gesture. Garth Shayeris just groaned, shaking his head. He twirled his finger near his head and pointing towards Roy, mouthing _he's crazy, save me._

The guys snickered, while Kori and Raven made it a point to laugh louder than usual.

"Oh, Garth, you are so funny!" Kori said, clasping her hands.

"I'll say," Raven added, a dreamy look crossing her face.

Gar rolled his eyes. "_Riiight_. So, hey! Does anyone want to hear a joke?"

"Man, _no one_ wants to hear your jokes," Vic said, shaking his head. "It's too early in the mornin'. Have mercy on us, grass stain."

Roy nodded in agreement. "Spare us, Gar. You can ruin our days later at lunch—"

"Hey!" Gar protested, crossing his arms and pout. "I'm totally funny. _You _think I'm funny, dontcha, Rae?" he asked the girl, eyes shining with hope.

"No."

Karen, who was standing next to Vic, laughed and hit Gar upside the head. "Got shot down, hm?"

Raven smiled dryly. "That looks like fun." She reached forward to thump Gar on the head as well.

"Seriously!" Gar moaned, rubbing the offended area. "Between you and Karen I'm not gonna make it to the end of freshman year!"

Karen rolled her eyes. "Ah, still the big baby we've all come to know and... and..."

"That's it," Raven supplied, folding her arms.

Gar pouted. "Mean!"

"Let's step beyond the second grade insults, shall we?"

"Do you think he's mentally prepared?" Jennifer Hex quipped, clutching her books and smirking at Gar. She took her place next to Raven, lingering a bit outside of the circle they'd formed near the principal's office.

Gar immediately perked up, waggling his eyebrows. "Why, _hello_ there, pretty lady," he purred, sidling up to Jen. "I haven't seen _you_ around before... you must be new. After all, I never forget a pretty face."

Her face remained blank. "Nice try, little guy. I'm Jen Hex." She nodded towards the empath. "From Raven's yoga class." Narrowed pink eyes at Gar, who started to feel very small. "And I've been a student at the middle school for three years. Where've _you_ been?"

The changeling giggled nervously, backing away.

"Burned," Roy said, shaking his head disappointedly. "Someday someone's going to have to teach you the fine art of flirting."

"It's not going to be you, for sure," Richard said, pointing at Roy. "You don't even have a girlfriend."

He glared at his friend. "Neither do _you_. At least I don't flounder around a friend-who-I-totally-have-a crush-on-and-am-too-chicken-to-admit-it."

Richard scowled at him and shoved his hands in his jean pockets. "I so do _not_."

Wally smirked inwardly, eyeing Jen. He ran a hand through his hair and smiled at her charmingly. "Walk you to class?"

Jen raised an eyebrow. "Do we even have the same class?"

Trying not to let the surprise show, he laughed. "Does it matter? I'll still walk you there. I can take you there and be at my class in the same minute."

"I've got a friend. She can walk me to class." She stared at him like he was a deformed creature oozing green slime. "I gotta go." Jen nodded at Raven. "Catch you at yoga class."

Gar grinned at Raven boyishly. "Yoga class?"

The empath pressed her lips in a hard line. "It's a serious exercise."

"She has a friend?" Roy asked eagerly.

Raven glared at him. "I'm not hooking you up, and I can assure you that neither will she."

Meanwhile, Wally was sulking. "Dudes, she totally rejected me. _Me! _I mean... she rejected the Wall-Man!"

"If you usually call yourself 'the Wall-Man'," Tara Markov began, popping up next to Garth, "then I can see why she rejected you."

Vic wrapped a brotherly arm around her. "Hey there, baby doll. Welcome back to school."

"_You! Delinquents!_" a voice boomed. All the members of the group winced—they weren't sure which part of you went out first when you aged, but in Mr. Immortus's case, it _sure_ wasn't his lungs. "What are you doing out in the hallway? It's class time!"

"Free period?" Gar tried, doing his best not to whimper at the withering glare Mr. Immortus gave them.

"A likely excuse," the man scoffed triumphantly. "_No one_ has a free period on first period."

The others groaned inwardly as Gar forced out innocent chuckles. "Oops. They must have given us a wrong schedule, hehe. Let's go, guys!"

"Yeah," Garth said, taking Gar's left arm.

"You heard the man," Roy continued, taking Gar's right.

"Let's go!" Vic said urgently, ushering the rest of them to their first period.

* * *

_A/N: Sooo... how was that? Unlike the first version of this story (which was a tad too far into the no-plot-and-just-winging-it-here territory), Just Getting Started (which is kind of a sucky title, ahh!) is planned and outlined. Chapters are not prewritten, although I have a vague idea of where each one should be going. Suggestions, however, are still and always, always greatly appreciated! I shall love you forever if you drop a review or PM. Questions are all certainly welcomed._

_Richard John "Dick" Grayson = Robin  
Kori Anders = Starfire  
Raven Roth = Raven  
Victor "Vic" Stone = Cyborg  
Garfield Mark "Gar" Logan = Beast Boy  
Jennifer "Jen" Hex = Jinx  
Wallace Rudolph "Wally" West = Kid Flash  
Roy Harper = Speedy  
Garth Shayeris = Aqualad  
Tara Markov = Terra  
Karen Beecher = Bumblebee_

_Angela Roth = Arella  
Koma Anders = Blackfire  
Rita Farr Dayton = Elasti-Girl  
Steve Dayton = Mento  
Bruce Wayne = Batman (INSERT DRAMATIC GASP)  
_

_Can someone guess who "Mr. Talanix" is? And if you can guess where I cooked that name up from, I will worship you. As in. Because it's improbable to get the right combo if I don't give you the first name._

**_NEXT CHAPTER: Who's the new principal? And, beware the onslaught of Terrible Teachers as the gang sits through the day's classes._**


End file.
